Floating raft bed alternatives

I am trying to find an alternative to polystyrene floating raft beds and am curious if anybody on here can point me in the right direction. I remember seeing a youtube video months ago where some people were using raft beds that appeared to be made out of plastic and fit together almost like a puzzle in an interlocking fashion. These seem ideal and I would love to find some for a closer inspection. Any information or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Replies to This Discussion

I think you're referring to the shrimp farmer in Asia with the oval aquaponics tank....if you find out where we can get those rafts let us know!

I've had some thoughts about placing a sealed air-filled 3" PVC pipe along each side inside a trough so that they can float while allowing some sort of rigid, light-weight and waterproof board to be placed on top like a raft. I haven't done any tests yet and have not found a suitable material to hold the plants.....

Could try it. I would fear they are too thin and flexible to support much. I don't know the material they are made out of so if you are worried about being organic or food grade you will have to do your own research into that.

I expect those puzzle foam mats will waterlog over time and they are not UV stable so will deteriorate in the sun.

Well, I do know that the floor mat ones my mom got are not up to handling the UV of being out in the sun long term like they would be for a summer as a floating raft. The ones they left on the porch faded and started to flake in a month or two.

Didn't see anything in the listing that made me think they are food safe either.